The Neon Demon (2016)

Chang finds the film a hypnotically beautiful, corrosive fashion-world nightmare, and says Refn’s style finally serves its subject. He especially praises the lavish visuals and the sharp interplay among the women, while noting the finale’s deliberately extreme imagery.

The critic calls it Refn’s best film yet, a gorgeous and unsettling work that critiques image-obsessed culture. Elle Fanning’s transformative performance is singled out as the film’s lifeblood.

Kermode finds the film a provocative, lurid fable whose guilty pleasures make it both alluring and excessive. He singles out Jena Malone’s fearless performance as its dark heart.

Macnab finds the film stylish, jarring, and sharply satirical, though its shifts between elegance and juvenile shock are striking. He singles out its eerie transformation of familiar Los Angeles settings, heightened by Cliff Martinez’s hypnotic score.

Dowd finds the film’s visual style and atmosphere mesmerizing, but argues that they overwhelm substance. The praise centers on its opulent, dreamlike mood and depiction of Los Angeles as a seductive, predatory force.

Kohn finds the film an amusingly twisted, visually assured ride, though its stilted dialogue and superficial gestures keep it from fully coming together. He praises Refn’s striking visuals and shock-driven third act.

The page identifies this as a review, but its verdict is hidden behind a paywall. The accessible text does not reveal what the critic praised or criticized.

The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No praise or complaint can be verified from the supplied page text.

Wise suggests viewers who prefer Refn’s earlier realism may want to skip the film, while fans of his recent style will find much to engage with. He singles out its graphic, gothic-psychological style as the main appeal.

The three-star rating suggests a mixed verdict on Refn’s fashion-world horror story. The available description singles out its neon-soaked atmosphere, while faulting its emotional substance.

The review finds the film visually striking but shallow, slow, and ultimately uninvolving. It praises the cinematography and Cliff Martinez’s pulsing score, while noting the film works best as a horror-comedy.

Freer finds the film both tedious and visually dazzling, with its strengths and frustrations making for a mixed verdict. He praises Refn’s striking visual style, while faulting the glacial pacing and lack of character depth.

The critic finds the film stylish but ultimately undermined by its exploitative, fetishistic approach. They praise its striking imagery and tense visual set pieces, especially in the first half.

Bray finds the film stylish and intermittently effective, but ultimately lacking staying power. She particularly praises its saturated colours, striking costumes and attention to texture, while faulting its horror for feeling too clean and deodorised.

Gleiberman finds the film visually hypnotic but ultimately underpowered and tonally inconsistent. He praises the motel manager’s knife scene as its most effective moment, while faulting the film’s slipshod storytelling.

Lane finds the film visually sumptuous but ultimately shallow and excessive. He singles out its lavish style while objecting to its reliance on graphic, grotesque shocks.

Sexton finds the film self-indulgent, slow and pompous, despite its striking visual style. He singles out its sumptuous colours and designs as the main virtue.

Lambie finds the film a dark, unforgettable fairy tale that succeeds as provocative black comedy. He especially praises the performances of Elle Fanning and Jena Malone, along with Refn’s vivid staging and imagery.

Roffman finds the film a cruel, cynical, and absolutely beautiful thriller, with its tension making Refn’s deliberate pacing worthwhile. He especially praises Elle Fanning’s nuanced performance and the film’s striking visual style.

Dunn finds the film visually ravishing but ultimately self-indulgent, with a screenplay too thin to match its style. He singles out Cliff Martinez’s score and Natasha Braier’s photography as its strongest elements.

Kermode finds the film’s brutal, visually indulgent take on beauty and the fashion industry compelling. She especially praises Cliff Martinez’s pulsing electronic score and the film’s striking visual beauty.

Soghomonian finds the film visually mesmerizing but ultimately self-indulgent, with its horror plot arriving too late. She especially praises the cinematography, score, and meticulously crafted fashion-world imagery.

Hammond finds the film stylish and striking, though its plot is not especially complex. He praises its vivid visual design and Elle Fanning’s fitting performance, while noting that the final act delivers an unpredictable horror turn.

The page labels a segment about the film as a featured review, but gives no verdict. It does not identify any specific praise or complaint.

Snydel finds the film visually striking but ultimately unfocused and flat. He praises its singular imagery and Cliff Martinez’s score, while faulting its indecisive story and lack of focus.

The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict and specific praise or complaints cannot be verified. No review details are available beyond the URL identifying it as a Cannes review of The Neon Demon.

The critic finds the film visually captivating but ultimately shallow and unprovocative. They praise its dazzling imagery while faulting the dialogue and static, self-conscious scenes.

Titmarsh finds the film hugely disappointing despite its moments of visual brilliance. She praises Refn’s striking use of colour and light, but faults the storytelling and its treatment of women.